Welcome to the Migraine blog. The Migraine blog keeps you up to date with the latest news and information pertaining to migraines and migraine research. Migraines are a physical, neurobiological action that occurs in and around the brain. It is not something you're just going to "get over". In fact, migraines are becoming widely and increasingly recognized as a neurological disorder and not just a "bad day". If the pain or symptoms that happen before or during your headache keep you from your normal daily activities and responsibilities, you could be suffering from migraines. Feel free to discuss and share thoughts and opinions about the latest news in the world of migraines, cluster headaches and other migraine related topics. Manage your headaches and migraine attacks and gain more control over your life.

Why do Migraines cause Nausea and Vomiting?

Migraines cause throbbing headaches, in addition to nausea and vomiting. Some assume that cyclical vomiting and nausea is caused by migraine headaches, but that is not the case. Cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS) that occurs with abdominal migraines is a separate condition that shares comorbidity with migraine symptoms.

Cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS)

Cyclic vomiting syndrome is a condition that involves repetitive vomiting and nausea over a long period. A person suffering from cyclic vomiting will experience spells of extreme queasiness, stomach cramps, heaving, and vomiting that alternate with “breaks” without symptoms. This can go on for hours, or days. Physicians used to believe that CVS was strictly a pediatric disease, but current research indicates that CVS can strike people of all age groups.

Migraines with CVS

Researchers are unsure as to why CVS occurs with migraine attacks, but they acknowledge that a high percentage of migraine sufferers experience nausea, stomach upset, and vomiting that is typical of cyclic vomiting syndrome. Abdominal migraines cause throbbing head pain, in addition to stomach aches, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. Migraine triggers such as stress and anxiety are also common triggers of CVS.

Abdominal migraines- who gets them?

Although CVS can strike anybody, abdominal migraines in children is most common. Adolescent migraine patients usually complain of stomachaches in place of headaches, sometimes causing cyclical vomiting and/or migraine with aura. As they get older, their abdominal migraine symptoms switch to typical classic migraine symptoms- sharp head pain, neck pain, sensitivity to light, smells, and sounds, and migraines with or without aura. (Read What are Abdominal Migraines?)

Anti- nausea drugs for migraines

Some migraine medications are effective at treating all migraine symptoms at once, including nausea and vomiting. However, prescribed migraine remedies don’t always work as efficiently as they should. If cyclical vomiting is keeping you from digesting your migraine medications, then your headache doctor might prescribe anti-nausea drugs to soothe your stomach and put an end to vomiting.

Note that many of the following anti-nausea drugs come with side effects such as dizziness and fatigue:

Phenergan

Thorazine

Compazine

Tigan

Reglan

Natural migraine ingredients

Many natural migraine ingredients provide nutritional support to migraine sufferers that improve neurological functioning, without causingside effects associated with other over-the-counter (OTC) products. For sour stomach, many people recommend ginger, peppermint, or chamomile teas. Also, supplementing with magnesium and butterbur has resulted in overwhelmingly positive results for many people who have suffered with chronic migraines for years.